Missed a glorious opportunity for some sledding (or x-country skiing) this past weekend. I just couldn’t tear myself away from completely rewriting huge swaths of code at blitzometer.com. But the weather was great for it (sledding, not coding) and while we only have a few inches of snow in the city, there’s plenty in the Southtowns and beyond.

And now it’s warming up again. Supposed to be mid-40s tomorrow. Hoping the sledding opportunity will come again. It’s been a while. And a really long while since going to Chestnut Ridge. Just more of the magic of Dreamtown USA.

Yes, it’s cold here now. Has been for a while. Not Green Bay cold, but cold. Actually, today is a bit warmer and they’re predicting above-freezing by the weekend. And still hardly any snow.

In other news, the Sabres continue their futility. They are now just six points away from being last in the NHL. Now that would be some kind of record I bet: going from first in the NHL to dead last in just one season!

About the only good thing is that Toronto is still only tied with the Sabres despite having played two more games. How bad are they?

Yesterday I was painting some shelves. Outside. Wearing a t-shirt. Because it was 66 degrees. In January.

So why wasn’t the NBC national news here? When the entire northeast was getting snow, they had to “begin our report in Buffalo” as if some snow in Buffalo in winter was news. 66 in January in Buffalo…that’s news!

Or maybe not. Our cross-country skis and snowshoes have remained idle for the third winter in a row (so far). If the CW was that Dreamtown wasn’t dreamy because of excessive winter snow, how long will it take the CW to catch on?

Last season, the Sabres were the highest scoring team in the NHL. Lately, they can’t score to save their (playoff) lives. Even when they’re getting shots and chances, they’re not scoring. What’s up with that?

Sure Briere and Drury are gone, but Connolly’s been healthy (most of the time). And this scoring slump really dates back to last season when they ended the season in a malaise and had trouble scoring in the playoffs. Their powerplay was particularly bad, and that continues.

Dreamtown deserves better. One thing I’d like to see is Campbell made the permanent captain. (And resign him now!!!) The rotating captaincy isn’t working.

I wonder if Lindy Ruff can get these guys to play. He couldn’t do it late last season and in the post-season, and it hasn’t happened this season. He’d better do something quick. Not making the playoffs would be unacceptable.

They also need more toughness. Sure wish Mike Grier hadn’t left. I’d trade Max Afinogenov for him in a heartbeat.

And if they get in any more shootouts, let Campbell shoot. I’d much rather see him have a go at it than see Vanek or Max fail to get a shot on net.

I’m three days late, but some ruminations on the NHL Winter Classic (known locally as the Ice Bowl) that was held here on New Year’s Day.

Overall, it was great! It’s hard to question the Sabres draw the best hockey fans in the USA. The weather was a bit warmer than we would have liked (which didn’t help the ice) but it looked nice. (Just a note for anyone who watched from out-of-town: it wasn’t lake effect snow, most of the time it wasn’t snowing in the city–just in the southtowns where the stadium is, and it amounted to maybe an inch of accumulation.)

The New Year’s Eve festivities downtown (”First Night”) were also great (even though I was only watching on the TV). Big crowds, good weather, and great fireworks for the reputed second-largest ball drop in the country. (I’m not sure if they mean it draws the second-largest crowds or it’s the second-largest ball.) I hope the out-of-town guests here for the Ice Bowl enjoyed it.

Today, smartymags directed me to an op-ed by Jake Halpern in the Washington Post. Halpern is a Dreamtown ex-pat but misses some hometown perspective. He talks about Bashar Issa’s investment in downtown, where he bought the old Statler Hotel with major renovation plans, and is also planning to build the tallest skyscraper in the city.

Halpern suggests the city is looking to him as its savior, quoting local “historian” Mark Goldman as saying Issa “is treated like the messiah here.” Really? By who? I’d be hard-pressed to find anyone here who even knows who he is.

Dreams are different than illusions, and Dreamtown is a city with no illusions. It’s great that Issa (along with plenty of others) is investing in downtown, but anyone expecting messianic miracles from him must still be celebrating Bass Pro’s latest non-binding agreement to maybe build something somewhere someday.